


The Life and Times of Sokka

by MiHnn



Series: The World of The Benders [2]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Angst, Canon Compliant, Gen, Humour, Hurt/Comfort, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-01-03
Updated: 2013-01-03
Packaged: 2017-10-30 12:21:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 29
Words: 3,459
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/331690
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MiHnn/pseuds/MiHnn
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A series of un-related drabbles centered around Sokka and his awesomeness.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. a dying fire

Sokka’s earliest memory was the snow. White was never a foreign colour to him. He knew the tiny falling water that became heavy when it fell on the ground and the sense of numbness his skin felt when he was out in the cold for too long. The snow reminded him of home… while fire reminded him of family.

Ever since he was young, they sat around the dying embers of the lit fire and spoke of battles, sacrifices, heroes and damsels in distress.

That’s how he knew, at the age of three, that he wanted to be a warrior.


	2. secrets

The secrets in the village were many. Everywhere he went, he interrupted soft whispers and hushed tones; the elders especially used to plaster fake smiles when they saw the four year old would-be warrior barge in, boomerang in tow and ready for a make-believe fight.

Sokka didn’t understand it. 

Their faces were always grave with deep foreboding before a he always entered, followed swiftly by smiles that never quite reached their eyes. He realised what was happening when one by one, more and more men went away only to never come back.

A storm was coming. They had to prepare.


	3. change

The thing his mother showed him was squirming. Pink faced and chubby cheeked, the baby that was apparently his sister – he’s not sure and he’s waiting for confirmation – seemed awfully interested in his boomerang.

“No,” Sokka said sternly. “My boomerang.” He grabbed her blanket. “Your blanket.” He then pointed to his most prized possession and repeated, “My boomerang.”

The baby didn’t seem to care and grabbed his most favourite thing in the world and with some kind of ridiculous strength, knocked him on his head with a giggle.

Sokka rubbed his head.

Eh. Maybe she was his sister, after all.


	4. heartbreak

He had never felt this way before. 

His eyes felt red-rimmed and teary, there was something large that was lodged in his throat, and he could feel nothing but numbness. 

What they had told him didn’t seem real. It couldn’t be true. How he wished it wasn’t true. 

But everyone looked at them with pity in their eyes and his father’s light had become that much dimmer. 

His mother. _Dead_.

When he saw his sister – his mother’s eyes, his chest _ached_. 

It _hurt_. It hurt _so much_. 

For the first time in a long time, Sokka cried himself to sleep.


	5. childhood

As the eldest male in the village, Sokka knew it fell on him to recruit and train the next generation of warriors. 

This was, of course, before he realised that the next generation consisted of toddlers.

“Now, men, do you have your weapons?”

Slowly, they raised their wooden clubs. 

“Good. Now get into formation and spar.”

One lone hand was raised. “Can we take a break?”

“What? No! We just started.”

The child blubbered. “But… food.” 

Sokka followed their gazes and saw lunch. His mouth watered. “Break!” He made a mad dash intending to get there before his… um… toddlers.


	6. memories

Sure, they had found a tattooed, robe wearing, non-meat eating, calmly meditating, air-bending, bald kid who is apparently the long forgotten – and what he had suspiciously believed as a non- existing – master of the four elements, who is expected to kick the Fire Nation where they deserve and bring peace to a hundred year war. 

It’s not that accompanying Aang in such a dangerous mission wasn’t amazing or anything.

It’s just that in Sokka’s mind, more than any of the adventures they had had this far, he knew that he would remember this moment the most and drool. 

_Yummm. Meat_.


	7. first/last

Sokka rubbed his cheek self-consciously, the blush he was suffering from, deepening further. 

She had kissed him!

Okay, so it wasn’t on the lips and it was more of a peck than a long, drawn out, meeting of the lips, but still…

His cheek tingled. Actually, his whole body tingled. The idea that a Kyoshi Warrior like Suki actually wanted to kiss him made his body heat up. Next time, he wouldn’t be frozen. Next time, _he_ will be the one to kiss _her_.

But, he knew, for that to happen their first meeting should, hopefully, not be their last.


	8. discovery

People were _crazy_! What was with the world?   
It wasn’t enough that they had an insane Firebending, scar-headed Prince appearing wherever they did, a mentally unstable King Bumi to help the resistance and now, Katara, Aang and Appa was missing and he was stuck with some fruity, nomad singers in a labyrinth of dirt where he may or may not die.

“One day the fruit said hello to the vegetable…” 

Sokka groaned, wishing for death. 

Now he knew why he never wanted to leave his home. He wished he could go back to the South Pole. People were sane there.


	9. celebration

“Sokka!”

Hearing his name, he whirled around just in time to duck and avoid a fire blast. Now annoyed more than angry, he tossed his boomerang and gave a satisfied smirk when the instrument knocked the Fire Nation soldier out before returning safely to his hand.

Sure, it’s not like they just saved a village and finally got more than a few morsels to eat, or received a festival of some kind with really delicious food. It’s not like they needed to celebrate their victory instead of fighting another battle.

Mumbling in annoyance, he aimed for the next oncoming soldier.


	10. dessert

Katara didn’t get it. Aang, sometimes, didn’t get it. Appa and Momo surely won’t get it. What did he expect, really, from those who had an unrefined palate, unlike him? They didn’t understand the complexity of a meal; how it’s important to start from warm and end with cold, how important it was to balance the sweet and the sour. How he really, really, _really_ wanted dessert.

“No, Sokka,” his sister said steadily. “We don’t have any money.”

Sokka sniffed at the delectable desserts, his eyes tearing with sadness. “B-but…”

She pulled at him. “Come on.” Reluctantly, he followed her.


	11. sex

It was official. The opposite sex was, in every word, completely and utterly insane.

What was with women? Sure, his sister got moody most of the time. But as her brother, he was given the divine right to ignore that. What about the Princess of the North Pole? 

He had never met anyone so beautiful, graceful and lady-like in all his life. She was intelligent, sweet and made his stomach flutter with nervousness when she was near.

That didn’t stop her from confusing him, though. 

He just needed her to talk. But, how?

Maybe if he carved her a fish…


	12. romance

He didn’t care what other people said. They spoke of naming the day after her, of celebrating once a year with festivals and parties while praying to her soul for protection.

How they could see her sacrifice as anything more than upsetting was beyond him. He didn’t understand it. They weren’t there. They didn’t see her life-force fade.

No, he didn’t care what other people said. No one could ever convince him that Yue giving up her life to protect the North Pole was anywhere near a romantic notion.

How could it be, when it made him feel so rotten?


	13. The Showdown

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt - Sky  
> Genre - Western

The sun was in the highest point in the sky when Sokka gulped down the wine, a loud sip to end the quenching of his thirst.

“Sokka, don’t do this,” his sister pleaded desperately. 

“No, Katara,” Sokka stated seriously, his tone deadly before he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and slammed the cup of wine onto the bar. “I won’t back down. He wanted a battle, and a battle he will get.” Pushing himself from the bar, he started towards the doors that led to his exit. 

“Please, Sokka,” Katara continued, “it would be better to ignore what he said.”

He swirled toward his sister angrily, his eyes sparking with excitement. “Ignore what he said? He insulted all of us. Our people. He said something unforgivable. I must teach him a lesson.”

Toph huffed from her position near the door. “Yup… This is not gonna end well.” 

Ignoring both women, Sokka pushed through the double doors that took him outside. He immediately raised a hand to shield his eyes from the glaring sun. Why did the Earth Kingdom have to be so hot? Squinting, he made his way to the middle of the village. 

“Ready Aang?”

The Monk sighed. “I don’t want to fight you, Sokka.”

“Oh really?” Sokka questioned mockingly as he bent slightly towards his fighter’s stance. His fingers itched closer to the boomerang that rested on his hip. 

Aang nodded. “Look, I didn’t mean to say that meat was bad-“

“Are you kidding me? You said that I would die before you because I eat meat. Take it back!” 

Sokka reached for his weapon. 

It took Aang two seconds to simply use his staff and blow him away. Wincing, Sokka rubbed his butt. Next time, he would take the kid from the rear. 


	14. Hidden Surprises

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt : Sky  
> Genre : Comedy

The plan had been simple. 

Sokka envisioned a moment where he would crawl on his stomach – in a very stealthy way, of course – his eyes narrowed in concentration and his movements slow so he could hear if there was any change in everything around him and somehow get out of the village before anyone could notice. He was going to trick them the way they planned to tick him and he was going to enjoy it. 

It was three months ago when he had found out the dreaded moment that was planned and it took him all of the three months to think and plot as he tried his best to make a plan. 

Ever since he knew what was coming, Sokka made it a point to avoid it. But to his chagrin, what he had planned, had not happened. 

He was first awoken by a sharp jab of rock against his very sensitive stomach, only to blink open his eyes to see Toph standing over him with a small smirk playing on her lips. “Hey!”

“Hey…” said Sokka as he tried to scramble out of bed. 

Then it was his father, over breakfast. Chief Hakoda retold tales of warriors and battles as they relived the glory days together. Sokka tried to eat as much as he wanted, only to pause when his father kept staring at him like his son wasn’t devouring a fish head. “What?” Sokka asked. 

“Nothing,” his father said with a shake of his head.

Then it was Katara’s turn. She decided to pull him by the arm and show him a new waterbending technique she had taught herself. Sokka yawned as he feigned disinterest, which is what he told his sister’s glare when she asked him.

At lunch, he had Zuko, who sat across from him and stared. Most riveting behaviour. 

Finally, Aang took over and tried to teach Sokka the benefits of eating berries instead of meat. The monk even took him on a glider ride, which Sokka didn’t quite like. He liked the ground, not the sky. 

Finally, all his friends and family gathered for dinner and Sokka resigned himself to what was obviously going to happen. 

Only it didn’t. Disappointed, he went to sleep that night thinking that maybe they had forgotten. 

But the next morning, while he was in the middle of a peaceful slumber…

“Surprise!” 

Sokka yelled as he fell off the bed and hurt his knee. Oh, his knee. “You didn’t really think we were going to let you skip your own surprise party, did you?” Chief Hakoda said with a smile. 

Sokka smiled sheepishly as his friends and family surrounded him. “Happy birthday,” they cried before suffocating him to death. 

Maybe celebrations weren’t so bad, after all. 


	15. Tomorrow

It took a while for Sokka to get the point, but once he did, he _got the point._

 

One: When people pay you a compliment, say ‘Thank you’ and walk away. Don’t stick around because they throw you a party with fireworks.

 

Two: If you plan on saying ‘No’ to an all-powerful Earth Bender, it’s better to keep you sister hidden so she doesn’t become Avatar-state bait.

 

Third: Don’t trust any generals or leaders of the Earth Kingdom because they are all _crazy!_

 

Sure, people of other nations were challenging. Hopefully, tomorrow will be the dawn of the less insane.


	16. Mistaken Identity

“Sokka?” his sister asked him with a slight poke. “Could you pass the jerky?”

 

Mumbling under his breath, he shoved the bag towards her.

 

Katara’s eyes narrowed. “Are you still mad at me? It all worked out, didn’t it?”

 

“And what if someone recognises you as the Painted Lady? What are we going to tell them?”

 

“Er… Mistaken identity?” she asked sheepishly with a light shrug.

 

Sokka’s eyes widened. “MISTAKEN IDENT-“ He stopped, closed his eyes and took a deep breath. When he opened them again, he glared at her. “I’m ignoring you.”

 

As Katara and Sokka glared, Aang sighed. 


	17. Flirt

Sokka grinned as he leaned towards the pretty lady. “Hello there!”

 

The girl simply stared at him.  

 

“Erm… Sokka?”

 

Sokka swat at the pesky Avatar without taking his eyes off the melons. “Not now, Aang.” He gave the girls his most charming smile, his hand gesturing towards the melons they were selling. “Good stock today?”

 

“Sokka…?”

 

Sokka whipped towards his friend with a glare in place. “Do you mind?”

 

Aang pointed towards Sokka’s clothing. Wincing, he looked down, realising that he had forgotten the old-man disguise that he wore.

 

Aang grinned innocently. “I think your flirting could use some work.” 


	18. Calm the Storm

“In my defence…”

 

“Your defence?” his sister asked, outraged. “Your _defence?”_ She aimed a water whip towards him and would have gotten him too, had Aang not jumped between them with his twirling staff to block the attack.

 

Aang, ever the diplomat, put out a steady hand. “I’m sure he didn’t mean it, Katara.”

 

Now that there was an Avatar protecting him, Sokka became that much more confident. “Oh, I meant it.”

 

She glared at him. “I am _not_ difficult”

 

Sokka stuck out his tongue. “You’re right. You’re _so_ calm.”

 

He knew he shouldn’t have stood close to the river. 


	19. And with a smile, he walked away.

It was a hot day in Ba Sing Se, a very hot day. Before he could melt, Sokka used his last few coins to buy himself a drink. The moment he turned around, he saw a homeless child eyeing his drink longingly.

 

Sokka frowned. He hated that he had a conscience.

 

Bending down, he handed over the drink. “Appreciate it, kid.” The child took it from him reverently.

 

Sokka gulped as he watched the child take a sip of the cool drink. He hated his conscience. 

 

When the kid smiled, he felt better. And with a smile, he walked away. 


	20. It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.

Sokka cleared his throat before he raised his chin and said in a foreboding voice, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times—“

 

Toph scoffed. “Eh… No.”

 

Huffing, Sokka decided to try again. “Here ye! Here ye!”

 

This time, she cackled. “No.”

 

“What do you want me to say?”

 

“Something good.”

 

“I’ve been trying to say something good. You won’t let me.”

 

“Oh, you poor cry baby.”

 

Frustrated, Sokka stomped away.

 

Toph waited until Sokka was out of hearing distance before she smiled, knowing that Zuko was listening.

 

“Told ya you’re better at telling stories.” 


	21. What is normal?

It took a bit of digging, but once he found his beard, he sat beside Aang and told him to lie down on the rock.

 

“Alright. Now, tell me your problems.”

 

Aang sighed. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”

 

Sokka cleared his throat. “Continue.”

 

“It’s just that… I feel like things are changing fast. I wake up, meditate, practice my bending, fight Fire Nation soldiers and do it all again tomorrow.” He sighed again. “I just want things to go back to normal.”

 

Sokka nodded in an all-knowing manner. “Hm… I understand. Now, tell me, what is normal, again?”


	22. Horror

“Oh, the unfairness! Oh, the inhumanity! Oh, the _horror_!”

 

Legs shaking, Sokka fell to his knees. “How could this happen?” he sobbed. “I did everything I could. I took every precaution. Even when others said I shouldn’t, I made sure to save. Even when they looked at me funny, I did what I had to.” He took a deep, shaky breath before he wailed, “How could we be out of _meat_?”

 

Zuko raised an eyebrow and leaned towards Katara, his gaze unable to be moved from a weeping Sokka. “Is he always like this?”

 

Aang, Toph and Katara nodded. “Yup.” 


	23. Fluff

“Please Sokka?” asked Aang in his perfected playful yet hurt voice. “Can’t we keep him?”

 

“No!” Sokka said once again as he literally put his foot down. “We are not taking another animal with us.” He decided to try a calmer tone. “We have Appa and Momo. Two furry animals are more than enough.”

 

“Aww. But look at how cute and fluffy he is,” said Aang as he tried to change Sokka’s mind. He even shoved the baby moose-lion in Sokka’s face.

 

Sokka couldn’t help it, he melted. “Fine. But, if his mother comes to get him, I’m sacrificing you.” 


	24. First Snowfall

He had been looking forward to it for months. His dreams had consisted of memories where he would play with the other children in the village, follow his father around and try to sneak into his meetings. His dreams had consisted of remembering how it was to fish in the freezing water and wear warm layers after the first snowfall of the day. His dreams had consisted of moments when he and his family used to be happy.

 

The moment they touched down at the Southern Water Tribe, Sokka didn’t wait. He jumped off the bison and kissed the snow. 


	25. Awkward Encounter

It was a surprise to everyone when Chief Hakoda requested Sokka’s presence. Sokka thought it was probably to discuss strategy of some kind, which he didn’t understand how it could be since the war was over and they had won.

 

Once his father sat opposite him, he shifted uncomfortably and cleared his throat, causing his son to wonder why he was called to the Chief’s tent.

 

“Sokka,” his father began, gravely. “You have grown into a fine young man. Which is why…”

 

And while Sokka imagined banging his head repeatedly against his boomerang, his father spoke to him about sex.


	26. Sparkle

Everyone knew that when he had a particularly trying day and all he wanted to do was close his eyes and go to sleep but the things he worried about kept him up, Sokka liked to walk. He preferred the time after the sunset so he could let his thoughts roam in the darkness and let himself bask in his memories.

 

But, what no one knew that he preferred the days when the moon could be seen. He would sit somewhere, anywhere, and pretend that he was talking to Yue while the moon sparkled.

 

She always gave him an answer. 


	27. Twenty Years Later

It was hard to imagine everything that he had been through. He and his sister discovered a boy in ice, found the first Air Bender in one hundred years who happened to be the Avatar, fought a war against a Fire Nation, rubbed elbows with various leaders of the four nations, befriended a loud-mouthed Earth Bender as well as a Fire Prince, fell in love and married a Kyoshi warrior and had children who play with Aang and Katara’s children.

 

It was a good life.

 

It has been twenty years and they were all still friends. Sokka couldn’t be happier. 


	28. Fruity Conclusion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt : Bowl of Fruit  
> Written for: Writerverse - Challenge #6: Quick Fic #2

Sokka rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “Hmm.”

 

Katara sighed. “Sokka…”

 

Eyes widening, he slapped a hand on his sister’s mouth and ignored her glare. “Don’t say a word. I’m _thinking_.”

 

Katara rolled her eyes but stayed silent. Believing that his sister would listen to him, Sokka let her go.

 

“Let’s review, shall we? I had a delicious, deep fried meal right on this table, but when I came back a bowl of fruit was here instead. Hmm.”

 

Toph snickered and Sokka glared.

 

“It was _you_!”

 

Toph smirked. “Having a fruit once in a while won’t kill you.”

 

Sokka fainted in response. 


	29. What the Nose Knows

Sokka walked left, stopped, and sniffed. Then he walked right, stopped, and sniffed. Frowning, he walked left again, then right again, before going left once more, his nose still in the air and a frown on his face. 

When he got that scent, that undeniably delicious scent, he grinned widely and pointed to the east. “Civilisation is _that_ way!”

Zuko sighed as he watched Sokka march towards the east with a satisfied strut. “Is he really going towards the nearest town?”

Toph frowned. “I think he’s going towards the nearest…pie.”

“Nearest _pie_?”

Toph shrugged. “You know how his nose works.”


End file.
